The invention concerns a floor assembly consisting essentially of a stable sub-flooring, a flooring placed over a wide area thereon and at least one floor element placed into a gap in the flooring and substantially level therewith having different properties than the flooring. The invention also concerns a method for placement of such flooring on a stable sub-flooring structure.
Conventional flooring such as textile flooring, tiles, plates, parquet and the like are installed after completion of the sub-flooring structure. The sub-flooring normally has a floor pavement forming the required flat surface for the flooring. A bonding agent for the flooring is then applied thereto and could be a mortar layer, a layer of glue or the like. For textile flooring in swaths or in tile form, the bonding agent may be eliminated if the flooring material is sufficiently heavy.
It is often necessary to introduce a different type of flooring element within a large area flooring. A simplest example thereof is a doormat disposed in the entrance region. In public and industrial buildings, large area precleaning zones are often provided in the entrance regions. Certain larger areas and rooms, in particular departure and waiting areas in airports, but also in multiple use buildings, are subject to particular high wear conditions e.g. due to frequency of use and also to luggage carriers and the like. Flooring is often used in such regions which is different than that used in the remaining regions of the floor.
Such inserted flooring elements always require modification of the subflooring structure either during construction in association with the application of the floor pavement or retroactively in that e.g. linings or complete frames are introduced into the floor pavement. Towards this end, it is necessary for the floor pavement to be partially removed or sliced. Since various installations, e.g. electrical, water and heating, are often placed on top of the sub-flooring structure and covered with the floor pavement, retroactive processing of the floor pavement can always result in damage thereto. In many cases, neither pre-processing nor retroactive processing at the desired location can be effected due to these installed conduits and cables.
Since inserted floor elements require post-processing of the sub-flooring, in particular in the floor pavement, this work is carried out by other contractors than those installing the flooring itself. It is therefore necessary to employ different workers than those used for laying the flooring. This makes such a flooring expensive and requires associated coordination of the work, leading to losses in time and delays. This is particularly the case when such floor elements must be retroactively introduced into a completed flooring. Reference is made e.g. to prior art given in GB 2 241 166.
In order to avoid the retroactive working of sub-flooring, flooring elements are also utilized which can be placed over a large area flooring. As a result thereof tripping edges are formed or the floor elements must be given a properly tilted transitional region. Such locations are, however, always a danger for the user as well as an impediment for rolling vehicles and the like. Reference is made e.g. to prior art given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,245 and DE 31 24 529.
It is the underlying purpose of the invention, to propose a flooring surface and a method for placing same with which the above mentioned disadvantages of inserted and superimposed flooring elements are avoided and which facilitates an initial application as well as a retroactive application of the flooring elements in a simpler and more economic fashion.
The first part of this purpose is achieved in accordance with the invention by providing for a placement aid in the form of a casing whose inner contour corresponds approximately to that of the floor element and whose outer contour to that of the gap and whose height approximately corresponds to the thickness of the flooring and which is secured to the sub-flooring structure in the same manner as the flooring, wherein the floor element is inserted into the casing.
The central point of the invention is the utilization of a casing as a placement aid having the contours of the floor element which is to be inserted and which otherwise supports the flooring in the vicinity of the gap immediately adjacent thereto. The casing has the same height as the flooring and can be positioned by the person installing the flooring. Should the flooring comprise ceramic tiles, the walls of the casing can serve for the formation of joints to guarantee an even seam structure after placement of the floor elements. In this case, the casing has the dimensions of the tile. In the event of textile flooring or parquet, a flush adjacency is desired. In this case, the floor element can have a peripheral edge strip which seats on the upper edge of the casing. The floor elements can comprise tiles of different kinds, parquet having different structures or hardnesses, textile tiles, coarse matting materials, bristle mats and the like. Such casings can also have purely decorative uses for interrupting the large surface flooring with differently colored, differently structured, or purely decorative floor elements. The floor elements can also contain emblems, slogans or the like of decorative format. The floor elements can also be introduced retroactively into an existing flooring by fashioning an appropriate gap in the flooring, inserting the casing, processing, if necessary, the transitional region between the flooring and the casing, and inserting the floor element. The floor element can be mounted within the casing in any conventional manner. The floor element can also be easily exchanged without requiring reworking of the flooring itself.
For larger gaps in the flooring, a plurality of floor elements are normally provided. In this case, a plurality of casings can be positioned in a grid-like manner.
The casing normally has a rectangular, polygon or round shape. In order to insert larger floor elements, the side walls of the casing can be adapted to break-off. In this case, the casings have a grid-like structure. Also in this case, the flooring is placed flush with the outer walls of the casing and the inwardly disposed side walls are broken-off accordingly.
In order to solve the purpose of the invention with regard to a method, the invention provides that, prior to installation, a casing is positioned onto the sub-flooring at the location of the floor element whose inner contours approximately correspond to those of the floor element and whose outer contours approximately correspond to those of the gap and whose height approximately corresponds to the height of the flooring and, subsequent thereto, the flooring is installed over a large area and fitted flush with the casing and the floor element is inserted into the casing.
The casing is preferentially attached to the sub-flooring in the same manner as the flooring itself.
Finally, in the case of a plurality of mutually adjacent floor elements or in the event of larger floor elements, a plurality of casings can be positioned in a grid-like fashion onto the sub-flooring structure.
In addition, the invention proposes a placement aid in the form of a casing open at the top whose outer contour corresponds approximately to the gap provided for in the flooring for the floor element and whose inner contour corresponds approximately to those of the floor element and whose height approximately corresponds to the thickness of the flooring with the casing being mounted to the sub-flooring in a similar fashion as the flooring.
The casing preferentially has a lid having a handle. In this manner, the casing can be positioned on the sub-flooring structure and all flooring work can be carried out. Subsequent thereto, the lid can be removed in order to insert the floor element.
The bottom of the casing can have gaps to improve its anchoring in the bonding agent layer introduced onto the sub-flooring structure. The bonding agent can also penetrate through the gaps in an upward direction to thereby assist in the attachment of the floor element within the casing.